The holiday reminders we all need to hear
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Hello, my beautiful people, and welcome back to the Moments Podcast. I am your host, Lexi Hidalgo, and I am going to make this episode pretty short and sweet and to the point. Literally said me never, or said me every single time I record, but it never ends up happening. That's more like it. I want to give you a few little holiday reminders. This time of the year is...

very exciting, very awesome, very wonderful, very splendid for some people and maybe not as great for other people or maybe it's a little bit of both. I made a couple bullet points, very broad bullet points, so we will elaborate on each of them. And the first one is going to be, let's start with where we're at right now. I'm recording this episode the week of Thanksgiving and

When I was younger, I had a very small body that tended to fit into the ideal body standards when I was 14 years old.

which most of us at 14 years old don't have developed bodies. You know, we haven't grown. We haven't been, our bodies aren't preparing us for birth around that time quite yet. But that all being said, in high school, I was relatively thin and I've always been somebody who loved food. I had a great

really, really, really great big appetite. And I had nicknames in high school called like the garbage disposal, the vacuum, the vulture. Like I would just put down anything. No plate was being left uncleaned.

by me. Honestly, that's not really relative to the story, but it is relative to like why I felt the way that I felt when my body changed. I just never thought about it too much. And even when I could eat whatever I wanted and my body wouldn't change at all, I still was like always kind of thinking about what my body looked like, not necessarily what I was eating or how that would affect what I looked like, but what

It was already a conversation from middle school to high school that what your body looked like, it mattered, unfortunately. And it depended on if guys liked you or if you were popular. And it's horrible. You know, I never realized how young of an age that started out until I really did reflection on it. But like we revolve our minds around our bodies from such a young age. And it is so horribly unhealthy and toxic, but it is what happens. That being said, I...

Remember going off to college and I was a harsh victim of the freshman 15. I think that's when my body really like

went through like so many different changes, I started gaining weight and I wasn't as active. And I, like I said before, I never really paid attention to what I ate before. And I didn't really care about putting healthy nutrient things into my body. I was drinking heavily, constantly, literally every day. So my body like kind of reacted to that. And I put on a lot of weight, water weight, whatever kind of weight, college weight, whatever you want to call it. And I

dealing with a lot of comments from people that I would never expect to comment on my body, you know? And a lot of it came from these, like a wholesome place. These comments never really came with ill intent, you know? I think a lot of the older generation doesn't realize how much we value what our bodies look like or care what our bodies look like, even though I know that they do because they struggle with the same things and it's just like a form of projection for a lot of people, yada, yada, yada.

A lot of my family members were pointing out that I was gaining weight and that my body looked different or like, wow, see that you've been gone at college or look how much you've changed since college. You still eat all that food. And, you know, they got to a point where they would just kind of say like uncomfortable things along the lines of, oh, are you really going to have another plate? Or, oh, like a second piece of pie? Are you going to have both pies? Like things like that. But the reason I tell you this story and I bring it up is because I know that I'm not the only one

who faced comments like this, who still has to face comments like this, who deals with these things. And, you know, it's hard enough for us ourselves to watch our bodies change. And it's really uncomfortable when people kind of validate those changes. So as you go into this Thanksgiving, I just want you to know in your heart and know in your mind that like it is completely normal for your body to change. You know, our bodies are going to fluctuate. Our bodies are going to adjust to so many different things. I don't want you to

Stop yourself from enjoying the holidays out of fear of what people might say. Eat what you want. Okay. I am the biggest believer of always eating intuitively and listening to your body and eating good food when that's what your body wants. Okay. Sometimes we have to feed the soul and not just feed the apps, you know, and honestly, you just deserve to eat. You don't have to do anything to deserve it at all.

And on that same note, family members and Thanksgiving and conversations that are political, listen.

I have a lot of family members who have very different political beliefs than I do. You know, they see the world very differently than I do. They have very different priorities than I do. And a lot of these people tend to be men who are double, triple my age. And I've learned really quickly that when I try to speak on what I feel and why I feel in a very gentle, constructive way,

to people, preferably, not preferably, usually, of the opposite sex and much older than me, I met with a lot of anger and frustration and just like belittling. I tend to be talked down to, talked over, made to feel stupid for thinking the way that I do, for having the priorities that I do, and freaking just loving people and caring about people tends to be deemed as stupid.

um, to a lot of certain family members of mine. And I know for a fact that I'm not the only buddy in this, in this boat. And what I like to remind myself of every year is to, um,

not force myself to try to break down a wall, not force myself to try to argue with a wall. I have really just had to accept that there are going to be certain conversations where I can gracefully intervene and share a thought or two about what I feel or why I feel the way that I feel. But that's going to be rare. And it's not worth...

tearing apart a family and adding to the divide by trying to

get somebody who's never going to listen to listen. And it's one of those things, it's like a hard pill to swallow. And part of me wants to never give up on trying to get people to understand what is so important to me and why it's so important to me. But sometimes you just genuinely can't. And sometimes you have to be civil with people who don't agree with you. And it is important to do so.

And trust me, I know that that is hard. And I know that different political beliefs and different morals like really tear people and families apart. And I'm privileged to say that mine hasn't, you know, like I haven't had to face a lot of the issues that people in this community and in this world have to face. I'm very lucky for that. But just if you're given the opportunity this holiday, don't leave the table screaming and

But don't be afraid to speak up either. You know, evaluate the situation, evaluate the conversation, evaluate the place and the pace and the volume and just see where you can immerse yourself. Okay. And never do it in a way, even though we can feel so angry about these things and want to speak so loudly about these things.

Try to do it in a more gentle way because I've learned over the past few years that that tends to be what's more progressive. Okay. And also something that I experienced a couple of years ago on Thanksgiving, I think it was probably around the same time, probably around the same time I was dealing with all these body issues too, is the first time I was like learning about

and understanding the world from a political standpoint and like knowing how to speak up about things. And I tried to speak up about a couple different things and I was shut down really fast, you know, not because I was wrong, not because I was loud, but just because I was trying to speak. And that might happen. It might happen, but I'm still glad that I try every year. Okay. I don't know. Maybe you'll be met with an open mind or maybe you'll be met with at least a conversation when you

Goodness. Guys, a hawk just flew down. I'm not even making this up. From the sky onto my roof and like knock something off the roof. So let me just pause this really quickly and I will come back.

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Okay, guys, 10 minutes later, I'm back. Only me, I swear. So I go out there and I hear this squirrel that's like crying. It's making noises and it's looking right at me. Usually when a squirrel sees me or, you know, anybody, it runs away. But it's in my tree and it's just looking at me, making this crying noise. And I'm like, oh my gosh, did this bird just take a baby squirrel? So I'm looking around and I see a squirrel.

all over the bushes and in the grass to see if there's a baby squirrel and if I can reunite the mom and I just don't know how I get myself in these situations seriously I didn't find a baby squirrel I do have two ducks that are just hanging out in my front yard they've been here for quite a few days so that's adorable yeah I was on chat gbt asking what to do and if I can help reunite them

Back to the point, I think we were talking about politics. I think that was nature's sign of telling me to stop talking about politics. And let's move on to the next point. This time of the year tends to be a time of the year where we all...

run into hometown friends. And I think you're going to quickly recognize that a lot of your hometown friends might be in very different chapters of life than you. You know, like some of my hometown friends stayed at home, got a job here, are living the dream living at home. Some of my other hometown friends moved far, far away the second that they could. I have other friends from high school that are married right now. Wouldn't be surprised if some of them were pregnant right now. This is a time where

everybody's everywhere. You know, our early 20s or even a little bit older or just in general, this time of the year is where a whole lot of different people come back together in one place and this can often come with a lot of drama or a lot of anxiety or a lot of stress to have to see people and have conversations and make small talk with people that you haven't seen in so long or feel judged by so many people that you haven't seen anymore and sometimes be the one doing the judging. So

I always think it's important for us to reflect on ourselves and reflect on who we are before we just like kind of hope that nobody does these things to us. Like let's make sure that we're not part of the problem. Um, make sure that you are supportive of everybody, no matter what they decided to do after high school, no matter who they become, what their job is, how much money they make, if they're married, who they're married to, what kind of relationship they're in. Like, let's remember that each and every one of us have a God given different path and we

God forbid somebody's path looks different than yours. Okay. It's not your place to judge. It is not your place to speak on. It is only your place to be encouraging and supportive of the people around you, even if they were the worst person in the world in high school. Okay. Truthfully, the first step is doing that because once we all do that, we all reflect on ourselves, the less problems we'll have with everybody else, because that's just how we do it. You know? Um,

That being said, a lot of people won't be in that mindset yet. A lot of people don't have those same goals. A lot of people just love to spill the tea and they love to gossip. And I think that it's one thing to, you know, be with old friends and discuss and talk about like, oh my gosh, this person is doing that now. And so-and-so is dating who now and what I think that healthily discussing what everybody's doing is not the worst thing in the world. I think that negatively, uh,

Taking what everybody's doing at this point in their life and using it negatively to reflect on them is not necessary. I don't think that spreading gossip and tea and making up rumors and creating rumors and putting drama that hasn't even happened and making these scenarios, I don't think that's healthy. I don't think it's healthy for any of us. And I know that people will still be doing that. And I just want you to know that whatever anybody has to say about you, whatever anybody wants to do about

let them do it, okay? Just remember that you chose the life that you chose for a reason. You should be proud of where you are and be proud of all the things that you've done and recognize that a lot of things that people might have to say to you or about you or behind your back might be because they're jealous of you. Maybe they're not, but regardless, it doesn't matter. If you're at a point where you are happy in your life and you are grateful to be where you're at and you are proud of the things that you've done,

Remember that other people's opinions just do not matter. To be quite frank, somebody's always going to have something to say. Doesn't matter how perfect you are in one person's book, in another person's book, you will be the complete opposite. So do not try to be everybody's cup of tea, okay? Because guess what? Not everybody likes tea. It's truth. It's truth. And yeah, just be nice as you go into this time of year, into these weekends where you see people from all over, just like,

Give people grace, okay? Be proud of people. Be kind to people. No need for drama. No need for drunken fights. Like, just do what you gotta do, okay? That's one I didn't write down, but I will tap into. I think there's a lot of heavy drinking involved around this time of year. The night outs get a little bit wild and a little bit crazy, and I don't know how long some of you guys have been listening or if you're just now tuning in for the first time, but I haven't been drinking for...

the past five months now and I've gained a lot of clarity mentally. I feel amazing physically but most importantly I've now had to go out on a couple of nights out where I have been around people who are quite honestly out of their mind you know on functioning at levels that they should not necessarily be functioning at and by that I mean like I'm surprised how some people

can function at such intoxicated levels. I just want to encourage you to be aware. And I don't want any of what I'm saying to come across as like, I don't drink. So I'm better than you. I want this to come across more so as like,

Be a little bit aware, okay? Like, put on your big girl pants and let's all monitor how out of mind and out of control we get around this time of year. Because I know that there is literally a nickname for the night before Thanksgiving, which is today, if you're listening to this day, it's posted as Blackout Wednesday. And I am all for a good time.

I'm not necessarily all for getting so plastered out of your mind that you don't remember anything the next day. I used to be definitely, but it is a recipe for anxiety. It is a recipe for disaster. It is a recipe for doing things that you wouldn't do in your right mind. And there's a reason you wouldn't do those things in your right mind. And I know that's a little bit of annoying big sister, motherly grandmother advice that sounds so stupid, but

especially if you're just trying to go out and have a good night. But I mean it, okay? Especially this time of year, it's very important to be careful and be aware of just how you act, how you behave, what conversations you have, the things that you say. I encourage you staying in your mind. Have a couple drinks. Have a couple shots. Do what you got to do. But know when to call it a night and know when to be careful.

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And that's what running is all about. Run your way at NewBalance.com slash running. Now we're going to move kind of past Thanksgiving. Let's talk about gift giving. I made a pact with myself this year. I have been very much...

I'm really privileged right now that I purchased a home last year. I am in the process of renovating it. But that being said, I have been very much on a budget lately, trying to function on a budget. I have a lot of house renovation that I want to pour into, a lot of dream goals and things that I want to do in this home that I can't do if I'm recklessly spending. And in the past, I've prided myself on being a reckless spender and great gift giver. And

Yeah, I just want you to know and recognize that everybody is at a different stage of their life. And you might be surrounded by a lot of people who can give you the world and more right now when it comes to physical gifts, material gifts, whatever, whatever. You might be around people who aren't at that same stage right now. And I am highly, highly, highly encouraging. And I feel kind of dumb even saying this because I feel like we should all know this by now. But when I was younger, I used to be really...

ungrateful, for lack of better words. I wanted what I wanted and I was upset when I didn't get what I wanted. And I cared about material things and I cared about getting the trending gifts that were on everybody's gift guides. I was like really...

I don't know. I was just like that. And I think that's something a lot of us, it's a way a lot of us are when you were younger. And I don't blame, like, I just, I was like that. Okay. I don't know what it was that made me that way, but I was, but I've come a very long way in the sense that I'm grateful for a post-it note that says, I love you and a dollar bill attached to it. Um, I'm a lot more attracted to thoughtfulness than a price tag. And, um,

I just want to give you that reminder to be extremely grateful and extremely appreciative of everything that you receive because what might seem like nothing to you could be everything from the person that gave it to you. And it's just a really easy thing to get caught up in around this time of year. And on that same note, if you are somebody who's in that boat, who's trying to be a little bit more on a budget or be more...

thoughtful instead of just find the most expensive thing that somebody's gonna like don't feel ashamed about doing that uh I think it's hard for me to in my mind like accept that I'm not going to be giving the best of the best gifts this year which is really silly but I don't know if maybe other people feel that too but just

know that it's okay to just be thoughtful. It's okay to make handmade gifts. They actually go a lot longer of a way. They're a lot more memorable and there's nothing wrong with it. It's a beautiful thing. I mean, this year I'm literally, I bought air dry clay and paint and like this UV resin and I'm making handmade jewelry holders and stuff for all of my friends and family this year. So I'm very excited to do that. And I'm

It's great to be that person. Be the thoughtful gift giver and be if you are the receiver of a thoughtful gifts, be appreciative of it. Be grateful for it. Remember that everybody's in a different boat this holiday season. And remember that if you don't get the Uggs that everybody's talking about, the world is going to keep moving on. And two years from now, nobody's going to be wearing those Uggs anymore and you don't have to feel bad about it.

Love what you got. Be grateful for what you got. Okay. We're lucky to be breathing, not to be cliche and cheesy, but it's very true. Um, I think this year it's hard not to compare and not to feel jealousy and envy. Doesn't matter where you are in life. Somebody is always going to feel that towards you or like, you're never not going to feel that you're always going to, you could have it all and you'd still want something that you don't have. So, um,

Just try to be mindful of that. Try to be aware of that in this next couple months. And honestly, for life, take that one with you. The next big one is just to pour a little bit into giving back this holiday season. If you can volunteer where you can, maybe there's a local food bank you could go volunteer at, go to your animal shelter. You can look up angel trees or I'm not sure exactly what it's called, but there's a lot of programs where you can volunteer.

pick kids and provide gifts for them. I highly encourage doing that instead of, you know, spending extra money on somebody else. Maybe get them one very thoughtful gift or meaningful gift. And then if you have extra spare, give it to somebody who might have nothing because the holidays are a really tough time for a lot of people. And if you're privileged enough that they're not the toughest time for you, maybe let's use all our extra time, energy, money to...

give it back in some way shape or form so i do highly encourage that this holiday season and also just give people grace be nice know that you're gonna have to deal with some scrooges and some grinches but

The holiday season is essentially about being a good person and giving back and spreading love and joy. And let's really remember to do that even when the times are heavy and when things don't feel that way. Let's all keep that our priority and keep the holidays what they're supposed to be about. Okay. Not buying the best gift, but being the best person.

I love you guys so much. I will do another one of these closer to Christmas if you'd like me to. But yeah, I will talk to you next Monday. Don't forget to tune in. Actually, I will talk to you next Wednesday, our new upload day for Moments Podcast. But yeah, find me on Instagram, TikTok in case you're new here and you want to check in on all the other platforms. I also have a guided journal you can purchase. It's called The Moments Journal and it will be linked in the description. So love you guys big time. Talk to you soon. Bye now.

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